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I have hesitated to post this tip because I find it difficult to explain.
But when it comes to being kind to yourself, meditation is my absolute number 1 – together with the gratitude habit.
It’s a pity that many people still think this is too ‘woolly’. Maybe they confuse it with hypnosis, with monks on a lonely rock, with floating above you body…? They think that you need to clear your mind to meditate?
Well, If you’re human and you have a brain, you’re ready. It’s simple as that.
Meditating is a kind of resting and training your mind at the same time. Your body needs training and rest to become stronger and to recover. And so does your mind. It is different from sleeping as it is more like ‘consciously resting’.
Tip for today
Make a habit of meditating for a few minutes every day. You will not feel it immediately, but after a while, your life starts to go easier, things fall in place and you will feel a lot better!
If you feel you don’t have time to meditate. You should meditate.
If you are still not convinced, I’ll give you 10 scientifically proven benefits of meditation.
- It prevents depression
- It gives your mind more emotional balance
- You develop compassion, for others and for yourself
- You get a better focus and concentration
- You will be happier
- You feel less fear
- Your immune system becomes stronger
- Lowering your blood pressure
- You feel less lonely
- You sleep better
These are tough times. Meditation can help, and even one minute counts.
The best meditation apps, even for those who are skeptical!
Headspace
It is one of the most popular meditation apps. With its hundreds of guided meditations, “going mentally offline for a while” is at your fingertips.
The app features Mindful Moments that keep you focused during the day, an SOS session that you can be turned on in moments of panic, anxiety and stress. The Sleep Sounds function sways you to sleep without counting thousand sheep and you can also invite friends to meditate together. The Mini Meditations mode allows you to effectively meditate for two to three minutes?
Headspace is a paying app. After a test period of 1 to 2 weeks you pay 57.99 euro/year.
Calm
Calm is a lot more accessible than Headspace. You are especially encouraged to just relax, without immediately meditating. When you have never been busy with your breathing, meditation or mindfulness this app, is for you.
The app is beautiful!
A great feature of Calm are the sleep time stories. Here you will be lulled to sleep by soothing (well known) storytellers, and they will be added every week.
Calm can be used for free for 7 days, after that you pay 49,99 euro/year.
Smiling Mind
Nice name, huh?
The app belongs to a non-profit organization and is 100 percent free of charge. You can choose programs for in class, in your family or at work. It looks pretty basic. What’s nice is that after asking a few questions, the program suggests a plan to get started.
Simple Habit
The Simple Habit app is especially popular for its On the Go feature for people with busy schedules. With five minutes of meditation a day you can already improve your life, it turns out. The app even provides reminders that meditating is part of your schedule.
The app is free for 7 days and after that you pay 98.99 euro/year.
10% Happier: for those who are skeptical
10% Happier is the meditation app for when you’re still skeptical and actually think your friends are exaggerating about that whole mindfulness thing. In short, clear videos, experts explain exactly what meditation is, what the benefits are and how you can make a habit of it. All this without woolly language. It is also very child friendly (even a bit simple).
This app is also paying (free 7 days and after that 99,99 euro/year).
Insight timer
Insight Timer is the most comprehensive meditation app available. It contains 70,000 free meditations. The program is packed with courses, meditations, lectures, conversations and podcasts.
Furthermore, you can get started with the timer. You can indicate how long you want to meditate and if you want to hear a background sound.
The completeness of Insight Timer is unfortunately also its pitfall. If you’re just starting to meditate, the app is quite chaotic and a bit intimidating. The chakras, mantras and energy systems suddenly appear out of nowhere!